Historically, the term "velvet" has long referred to a plush woven fabric of distinctive appearance and hand. However, the comparative low productivity inherent in the weaving of such a fabric has caused the traditional velvet product to be largely displaced from the marketplace for many end uses, e.g. for upholstering furniture, by a tufted product that is similar in appearance and hand. The tufted product has come to be called "velvet" as well.
Prior to this time it has been known to fabricate a woven type "velvet" upholstery fabric on a fine-gauge, loop tufting machine. After tufting, the material was subsequently sheared to give the desired appearance and hand. This prior art tufted velvet fabric has typically been manufactured from ring spun yarn and tended to have occasional unsheared loops. Furthermore, the tufted velvet gave the surface appearance of having distinct "rows" of loops or tufts and thereby diminished the luxurious, plush appearance available in more expensive woven velvet fabrics.